Targetted
by babesrus2
Summary: Sequel to Off the Radar. Stephanie has a new stalker. Can Ranger and the Merry Men find him before he takes her out? A Babe HEA.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Janet owns all the recognizable characters. **

A New Threat

Stephanie sighed. "I've got another stalker, don't I?"

Hal, Tank and Ranger were squeezed into her tiny kitchen. They were all looking at Rex in his cage. He was looking non the worse for wear, but glued on his head between his eyes was a tiny target. There was no note.

Stephanie silently left the kitchen. She walked to her bedroom and started to pack.

She and Ranger had an agreement. If she felt that Rex was in danger, she and Rex would move to Rangeman for protection.

Trenton Police had been notified. Thank goodness Carl and Big Dog responded. They had given her a hug and promised to do their best. She knew without a doubt that there would be a new round of betting at the station upon their arrival. She was the best entertainment this side of New York.

She knew that Morelli would not be doing his Italian thing and trying to get her to change her job. They had parted ways very permanently a year ago. He had taken a transfer to Atlanta and had met a cute little pit boss. They were getting married in a month and Stephanie had her invitation tacked on her fridge.

Stephanie pondered who might be after her. This was a message for her. Someone had broken into her apartment and had left the message.

Unfortunately, this meant that she would be in close contact with Ranger once again. They were in a cooling off period. He had been 'in the wind' and had just returned. Normally, they would have celebrated his return in style, but Stephanie had found out that he had been in town over a week before ever contacting her.

Tonight was the first time she had seen him in over six months.

She had made some changes while he had been away. She was now a fully dressed and full time member of Rangeman. She no longer did only searches. She had a partner and took regular shifts on monitors, alarm responses, surveillance and take downs. She had survived her Probationary Period and had passed the final test. She carried two guns at all times. Hector was teaching her knife skills and when she passed his test, she would add a knife.

~~~o0o~~~

She remembered the day Ranger had returned from his mission oh so long ago. Stephanie and her fellow Probies had just returned from their final test. They were in Conference Room C celebrating the end of their probation. Tank had assigned the partners. She and Maurice would be teaming together for three months and then a new rotation would be drawn up.

Tank let her know that he had met Ranger as he had just landed on the roof. She had raced up to 7. She did not have a key and had knocked on the door. He had opened the door still dusty and dirty from his mission. Their homecoming had been joyous and eventful. Nobody saw them for two days. Stephanie remembered that she had trouble walking down the stairs. She could feel the ear to ear grin on her face. Life was good. That had been a happier time.

They had settled into a period of co-habitation. Ranger had asked her to move in with him and she had accepted. She had moved with Rex the next day. Life had been good.

Ranger had taken back the reins of power from Tank.

He had shown her his documentation. He was finished with his contract. He was a free man.

Then came the phone call. She remembered it vividly.

Ranger took the call at supper one night. It was a very one sided conversation. Ranger had explained he was done. Stephanie wanted him to hang up then and there. What he heard next changed his demeanor immediately. He agreed on the spot and hung up. He looked at her apologetically and went into the bedroom. She could hear the closet door open and clothes rustling. He came out with a small duffle and no weapons.

Tears sprang to her eyes unbidden. She tried to be brave. Ranger walked her to the couch and pulled her onto his lap. He rubbed her back and hugged her to him. No words were spoken. Ranger stood up. He looked down at her.

"I have to do this, Babe." "I do love you, but you know what I do. Tank will look after you."

Stephanie sat on the sofa in shock. As he put his hand on the doorknob, she managed to get out, "Don't get shot!" Ranger smiled. Even under duress she had used their favorite term. "Don't get crazy, Babe." He opened the door and quietly slipped out, closing the door behind him.

She heard the helicopter land on the roof and then with a shudder of the building, all was quiet. She sat on the couch. Her world had crashed down around her ears once again. She went into the bedroom, changed into one of his t-shirts that smelled so much like him and curled up in the fetal position on the bed. Her pillow was wet with tears.

She heard the lock turn and the apartment door open and quiet footsteps stop at the bedroom door. She pretended to be asleep. Finally, she heard the door quietly click closed and she was alone once again.

Stephanie fell asleep with her new plan in place. She would pack up and move back to her apartment. She and Rex would once again be buddies. She would continue to work at Rangeman as she had given up bounty hunting some time ago and was under a two year contract at Rangeman, but she needed to make some new arrangements.

Morning came. Her bags were packed and Rex was in his aquarium by the door. Stephanie picked up the first load and pressed the elevator button. It came to the floor and she walked in. She knew that she would be seen on the elevator monitor. It was very early. She hoped it would be someone other than Tank who came to investigate.

The elevator stopped at the garage. She stepped out and headed for her car. She had the first load already in the trunk when the stairway door opened and Bobby walked out. Stephanie knew he had been the one checking on her last night. He had a very unique cologne.

Stephanie slammed the trunk lid closed and walked back to the elevator. Bobby walked into the elevator with her. It appeared that she was having company going back upstairs. No words were spoken as they travelled back to seven.

Bobby touched her arm as they exited the elevator. She spun around, catching him by surprise and swept his feet out from under him. Never saying another word, she came back out with another load.

Bobby had picked himself up and followed her again. It was silent all the way to the basement once again. This time Stephanie put her load in the back seat, closing the door and heading back upstairs.

By now, Tank had joined the procession. No words were spoken. They both watched as she picked up her purse and Rex.

They followed her to her car again. She placed Rex carefully on the front seat and belted him in. She closed the door and headed for the drivers' side. Looking at them over the roof of the car Stephanie said. "I have a shift tomorrow. I will be there."

She climbed into her car and fobbed open the garage door. She drove out and left them standing there.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Janet, just borrowing them. **

**A/N – Thanks to the readers who pointed out that the marks to show a flashback did not come through the posting. I have corrected it. Sorry about that. Myrna**

A Set Up

Looking back, the six months flew by. In Stephanie's world, it seemed like a lifetime.

She continued to work at Rangeman.

She continued her lessons with Hector. She had a new attitude. She tried to learn everything she could to protect herself. Her demeanor had changed. She was now becoming as hard and bad ass as the men she worked with.

The men agreed. She was a full-fledged partner and one who could be counted on to have their back. At the same time, she was no longer as fun to work with. They loved how she would fidget on surveillance, moan eating food, laugh at all their antics, and give them hugs and kisses on a whim.

Now, she was all business.

They knew that Ranger was on a volunteer mission. No explanation had been offered but Tank had let it slip that it was something near and dear to him to make him leave just when he and Stephanie had finally committed themselves to each other. They had stopped dancing around the obvious and finally embraced the special bond they had.

Now, it appeared that the tower was tumbling down around them once again.

The men had often joked that if she and Ranger ever decided to really call it quits there would be a long line of suitors waiting in the wings. Truth be told, dating Stephanie now would be like taking out one of the guys. Her laughter was rarely heard now. She moved with stealth. Her body was lean and hard. Her eyes had an icy glare to them, assessing with every breath.

Stephanie seldom hung out with Lula and Connie anymore. She had grown tired of their lifestyle. She would head to Vinnie's for the Rangeman files on occasion. The girls had waited in anticipation for her visit. They knew a donut delivery would be imminent. Imagine their surprise when she showed up empty handed. She didn't want to sit down and chat anymore. She made polite conversation and would head out the door with the files. She didn't discuss her personal life.

During pillow talk Tank would give Lula snippets of Stephanie's new life. She was not dating, nor hanging out much. It was all work, work, work.

She still showed up for her obligatory weekly suppers at home. She would take off to Point Pleasant for a couple of days once a month. She was taking courses at a dojo every week. She usually ate suppers alone now. She had learned to cook and her diet mostly consisted of vegetables and salads and chicken or fish. She hadn't been to Pino's in months.

She periodically phoned Mary Lou. She caught up on the Burg information. She got tips from Mary Lou on the whereabouts of FTA's from the Burg.

She knew that Mary Lou's boys were getting taller and more mature every day. Little Kenny was now in school and was turning into a true hellion like his older brothers. Lenny was expanding his air conditioning business. They had moved into a larger building with more employees. Mary Lou continued to handle the bookkeeping.

Mary Lou had called Stephanie in desperation one night. She had to go to a meeting and their regular babysitter had bailed. Lenny was doing year end. Could she help her out? Stephanie headed to the house.

The boys rubbed their hands in glee. Aunt Stephanie was so much fun to spend time with. They would watch tv, eat ice cream and make forts all over the living room.

Mary Lou came home to a quiet house. Stephanie was reading a book. The boys were nowhere to be found. The house was spotless. She looked around in amazement. "What the hell happened here?"

Stephanie stood up. She was putting on her coat. "They are in bed. They made a mess but cleaned it up. They wrote you an apology note. "

Mary Lou looked at Stephanie. She had changed so much. "Don't you want to stay and have a cup of coffee with me? I haven't seen you in ages."

Stephanie sighed. She shrugged out of her coat and headed for the kitchen. She had been expecting it. She knew a set up when she saw it. She sat at the table as Mary Lou moved around the kitchen. Mary Lou put the coffee pot on the table along with mugs, cream, sugar and a plate of donuts.

Stephanie took a cup and filled it with coffee. She cupped her hands around it and waited. Mary Lou looked at her in amazement. She drank her coffee black now? And what about her sweet tooth? She sat down across from her and waited. Mary Lou knew that eventually she would cave. She had all night. Lenny had been told not to come home until Mary Lou phoned. She was going to get to the bottom of what was going on.

The staring match started. Mary Lou had been a champion at it all her life. Her eyes were assessing as she watched her best friend. Something really bad must have happened to turn Stephanie into this. She waited.

Finally, Stephanie sighed. She knew she was not going to bluff her way past Mary Lou. Mary Lou had the patience of a saint. They could stay like this for days. Poor Lenny would be sleeping at the office.

She spoke. "I'm trying to stand on my own two feet. I realized what a screw-up I have been. I took for granted everything and everyone. That probationary test proved to me that if I put my mind to something, I could accomplish it. I really needed to learn to cook. The guys at work have been great but I needed to learn so much so I could properly back them up. I was drifting through life expecting everyone to look after me. Well, no more. I can run and gun with the best of them now. "

Mary Lou looked at her friend. She looked so lost at that moment. "What about Ranger? You have not mentioned him at all."

Stephanie played with her cup. "I know where I stand. Tank talked to me. He is privy to the mission as he should be. All he could say is that Ranger did not want to take the mission until he found out who he needed to erase. They go way back. I asked why someone else couldn't have done the job if it was so important? Tank said that like a puzzle, it was the final piece. Ranger would not relax until the final piece was in its place."

Mary Lou shuddered. Ranger had now been gone for four months. Her friend was hurting inside and she had trusted nobody to confide with. Mary Lou felt wounded. They were best friends. They had shared their deepest secrets since they were six. No wonder she was wound up tighter than a spring. Stephanie was a free spirit. She was impulsive, giggly, impetuous, infectious, and a joy to be around. Sitting in front of her was a complete stranger.

Mary Lou loved Stephanie with all her heart. At the same time, she wondered when her best friend would finally get it. Stephanie knew what Ranger had done in the past. It was who he was. He may have finished his contract, but there were probably still skeletons in the closet that rattled now and again.

Mary Lou looked at her friend. Tears were sliding down her cheeks. The dam broke. Mary Lou put a box of tissues by her friend. She also got two really big spoons and two shot glasses. The coffee was forgotten. It was time to get serious. She put a bottle on the table and two cartons of ice cream. Stephanie laughed.

Ever since high school that was their make-up tradition. She hoped that two containers of ice cream would be enough. She suspected that she would not be running her eight miles in the morning. They each took a spoon and dug in. Many spoonfuls later and one dead soldier on the counter, they weaved their way upstairs. Mary Lou tucked her friend into the double bed in the spare bedroom. She put a pail by the bed and phoned Lenny.


	3. Chapter 3

Morning After Decisions

Stephanie groaned.

She had the mother of all hangovers. Painfully peeling one eye open at a time, Stephanie shifted in bed. Looking over the edge of the bed she spied the bucket. Even drunk, Mary Lou was still looking after her best friend.

Stephanie slowly, very slowly, rolled out of bed. She grabbed the towels and pile of clothes that Mary Lou had placed on the dresser and treading carefully headed for the bathroom. She had spent enough time in the house she could navigate with her eyes closed. Feeling her way down the hall, Stephanie closed the door softly.

She had no idea what time it was. The sun was shining painfully through the windows. She realized that she had missed the morning meeting at Rangeman and her shift. She didn't know how she was going to explain this away.

The house was quiet.

Stephanie turned on the shower. She stepped in and proceeded to wash away last evening. Feeling much better, she turned off the water and stepped out. Mary Lou had provided a brand new toothbrush. Stephanie spent considerable time brushing her teeth, paying special attention to her tongue. Five minutes later she was dressed and heading downstairs.

Stephanie prayed silently. "Please God, let there be coffee!"

Mary Lou was in the kitchen. She was making soup. There was a mug by the coffee maker, complete with cream and sugar beside it. Beside the mug was an industrial size bottle of pain reliever. Mary Lou shopped at Costco.

Stephanie stepped to the coffee maker. She poured a cup, wincing at the noise as the coffee filled the mug. She poured the milk in watching it swirl in hypnotically lazy circles. She took the coffee to the table with the pill bottle and carefully put it on a place mat. She sat down on a chair grimacing as the chair squeaked under her weight. She put her forehead on the table and groaned.

Mary Lou looked at her friend. They had not tied one on like that since Stephanie had come to her house brandishing the final divorce decree paperwork from The Dick.

Lenny had been the savior that day, putting them both to bed with buckets by their heads.

Stephanie spoke with her eyes closed. "Mary Lou, I will give you my first born if I ever have children if you will please stop stirring what's in that pot!"

Mary Lou put down the spoon in the little holder on the stove. She too grimaced at the sound. Taking her cup, she re-filled it with coffee and sat down at the table across from Stephanie. Blessed silence filled the room. Each was lost in their own world, trying to recover.

Stephanie finally sighed. She had to get moving. She had to get home. Rex needed her. She had to phone Tank and apologize for her absence. She would need to apologize to Maurice. As his partner was not there, he would be assigned desk duty. Nobody liked desk duty. It was an unwritten punishment. Desk duty got all the shitty jobs. Everybody at Rangeman waited with glee for one of their own to be assigned desk duty.

Stephanie stood up. She gave a hug to Mary Lou. She walked to the door where her coat and purse were sitting on the back of the sofa.

Mary Lou followed her. "Don't be a stranger." Stephanie nodded. They were best friends. Everything would work out. They had each other's back.

That had been a turning point in Stephanie's world. She slowly snapped back. She started to laugh now and again at work. She even pulled a prank on Lester one day.

Stephanie made it up to Maurice. She offered to babysit his little son, Joel one evening so that Maurice and Naomi could go out for supper and have an evening alone. Joel was so cute. He had just turned four. They played cars, and video games. They watched a movie and had McDonalds for supper.

She and Joel had made a fort in the living room and he was sleeping in his daddy's sleeping bag when the happy parents returned. He was dressed in his combat jammies and had his child sized kit in the fort with him.

Stephanie put on her coat. Maurice was not just her partner. He was her friend. Stephanie and Naomi had gone shopping a few times. They had invited her over for supper numerous times. She had even taken them up on the invitation a time or two. She observed the love for each other in their eyes. Just the gentle touch helping with dishes, playing with their son or taking a walk hand in hand.

Stephanie had mentally wished that she and Carlos would wind up together like that. Life was so short and both of them were still dancing around each other.

Stephanie gave Naomi a hug. "I'm glad to make up for missing that shift, Maurice. I'll see you tomorrow. I call the driver's seat." With an impish grin, she walked out the door to her car.

Maurice smiled. He would let her have it tomorrow, but the shift after was his. He sensed she would be writing lots of reports. He had a long memory.

Ranger had now been away for five months.

Tank had delayed changing out Stephanie and Maurice as partners. He was good for her right now. He was calm and cool in situations. He was considerate and kind. He was contributing to bringing Stephanie back to the person they knew and loved before Ranger went away.

Stephanie had a new attitude. She was competent but kind. She once again started to go out with the guys on Friday night beer and pizza dates at Shorty's. She didn't stay long, but at least she came for awhile.

She had started a group who had interests in hill climbing. Once or twice a month they planned on heading somewhere to climb. Once she had mentioned it, men came out of the woodwork wanting to learn or wishing to freshen up their skills.

Maurice had been cajoled by Stephanie to go one time. He was still not comfortable with climbing. Unfortunately he now had a new nickname from their last encounter.

Maurice had taken a little too much time climbing up one hill.

Binkie was following behind. "Babies could scramble up faster, man. The beer's getting warm in the truck." Ever since that eventful day, Maurice was now called Scrambler.

It stuck. Tank was calling him that in the morning meeting. The control room called him that. His cell phone number was listed under Scrambler. His mail slot was renamed.

Maurice had mentioned to his wife his new moniker. Naomi had mentioned to Stephanie one day that she had accidently let it slip out one day at home. Joel's little ears had heard. Maurice had to listen to his son repeat it time after time until his mom sternly admonished him and reminded him that he was Dad.

Naomi had also casually mentioned to Stephanie that that evening she had babysat Joel had been eventful. Scrambler was feeling very playful the rest of the night.

She hadn't been feeling well lately. She had just peed on the stick. Nobody beside her husband and Stephanie knew yet. Tank would be advised.

As per Rangeman procedure, any expecting employee was taken out of the field until after the little one was born. Maurice and Stephanie would be re-assigned once the diagnosis was confirmed. Tank was working on a new rotation and Stephanie would be assigned a new partner.

Ranger had been gone six months.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I make no money, just enjoyment from doing this. **

Stalked Again

Present Day

Stephanie picked up her duffle. She headed into the living room. Hal already had Rex's cage under his arm. Stephanie looked at Tank. "Any suites available on four?"

Tank looked at Ranger. He shook his head. "Sorry, Little Girl. We are full up."

Ranger looked at her. He had assumed that she would be moving her stuff back to seven. He wondered why she had even moved back to her apartment. Six months ago, she had been living on seven. Ranger had assumed that she would stay in the safety and comfort of Rangeman. After all, she would have Ella to cook and clean. Tank could watch over her. The men would help to hone her skills since she was working full-time at Rangeman now. He needed to talk to Tank again.

She stood there, biting her lip. "Can Rex stay in the control room? I can stay here. I know how to protect myself."

Ranger shook his head. "Babe, you know the agreement. If Rex is in danger, you both move to Rangeman. You and the rat are a package deal."

There was a pregnant pause. Nobody was willing to say anything. This was not a normal time. Stephanie sighed. She was between a rock and a hard place right now. Mentally she reviewed her options. Unfortunately she had none, unless she was willing to sleep in the supply room, and there was no bed there.

She had already regretted that Hal had seen Rex with the target. If she had been faster, it would have been removed and nobody would have been the wiser.

She led the way out the door and Hal followed. He would protect his partner.

Tank had put the two of them together just a week ago. They were still learning what made each of them tick. Tank had advised them they were to be partners for the standard three months.

Hal belted Rex into the back seat. Stephanie tossed her duffle in beside his cage and climbed into the passenger seat. She was shotgun today. Usually they took turns but she had forgotten to pick up the coffee from Starbucks before the morning meeting and her punishment was loss of the keys for the day. She was lamenting that her first thought that morning was that losing the driver's seat would be the worst thing to happen to her.

~~~oOo~~~

Hal could be really, really quiet most of the time, but when he opened his mouth, he usually had a real gem to pass on.

Yesterday he had astonished her with another gem of information. "Did you know that if you were to spell out numbers, you would have to go to the number one thousand before you would use an 'A'?"

Stephanie had looked at him. Where was he getting this shit? The day before had been, "An ostrich egg is bigger than its brain."

Stephanie looked at Hal. He had always seems so quiet, almost dumb quiet.

He was known around Rangeman as a gentle giant, but she had seen him in action her very first shift teamed with him. They had been on a take-down. Marko Garibaldi was FTA for flashing near a school zone. He was charged with five counts over a two month period and teachers were having to use extreme measures when children were out of the building.

Stephanie had received a tip from her Grandma Mazur. Marko was the son of Nettie Garibaldo and she was none too happy with her son. He had begged her to bond him out and then he promptly disappeared. She was at the Cut N Curl one day and let it slip to Edna that her wayward son was sometimes sneaking in at night to the house for food and more clothes. Grandma had passed on the tidbit.

Hal and Stephanie were dispatched to return said FTA back into the system. They had been staking out the house when they spied Marko stealthily tiptoeing to the back door late at night. Using hand signals they had cornered him. Hal, being senior partner, signalled Stephanie he would grab him. Marko spied Hal just as he was getting ready to announce their arrival. He took off for the back alley. Hal ran after him with a speed that surprised Stephanie. By the time she got to them in the alley, Hal had Marko on the ground and was handcuffing him.

Stephanie brought up the Explorer and Hal quickly put him in the back and shackled him to the floor. They made the trip to the police station and returned to Rangeman with the bond receipt in time for their regular shift to end.

~~~o0o~~~

Hal pulled into the garage. He parked in an open spot near the back wall. He turned off the motor and turned to Stephanie. She was sitting in the seat. Her mind was certainly elsewhere. She had not even acknowledged their arrival.

"If you really don't like staying on seven you can crash on my couch, if you want. " Stephanie looked at Hal. He really was a good friend. "No, I'll stay there. But I will be sleeping on the sofa, just so you know."

She opened the door and slid out. She took her duffle and slung it over her shoulder. She picked up Rex and his cage and headed for the elevator. The door opened and she stepped in. She didn't need to press any button. The elevator rose unbidden to the seventh floor and stopped. The elevator door opened. The apartment door was open. She stepped in and put Rex on the kitchen counter.

Ella was in the apartment. She had a load of clean towels in her hand. She was heading into the bathroom. "Hello, dear. I am putting additional supplies in here for you. Call me if you need anything." With that, she disappeared into the bathroom.

Rex liked staying at Rangeman. Ella looked after him with the same efficiency as she managed the building. He had the best food available and his cage was cleaned on a regular basis. There were days that Stephanie wondered if he would even miss her if she left. She put her duffle on the couch and walked out.

She took the stairs down to five and headed for her cubicle. She needed to type the report on her apartment. Shot gun had to process reports unless there was a shooting, then both partners had to file a report. She settled into her cubicle and got to work.

The floor had been noisy when she arrived. Suddenly there was a hush. That could only mean that Ranger was on deck. She continued to type.

She felt a tingle at the base of her neck. Ranger was leaning again the wall looking at her. He cleared his throat. "Babe, can I see you in my office when you have finished your report?"


	5. Chapter 5

Surprise

Stephanie finished her report. She knew she was dawdling. Careful Stephanie said that she was taking her time preparing the report. Denial Land Stephanie knew better.

Finally, she could put it off no longer. She printed the report and standing up, walked over and put it in the in-box for Tank to process. She walked to Ranger's door. It was closed. She knocked and waited. She could hear Ranger say, "Enter". She turned the knob and walked in. She closed the door.

Stephanie walked to the front of Ranger's desk and stood at parade rest. She was not making this easy. The old Stephanie would have flopped in one of the guest chairs.

He was watching her with his eyes narrowed. Her face was blank. She had practiced her own version of the blank face and it was firmly in place. Silence. More silence.

He motioned her to a chair. Stephanie sat down stiffly. She had her hands folded in her lap.

Ranger looked her over. My God had she changed. No longer was the happy, bouncy, animated version of his Babe in front of him. Now it looked like she was practically one of the guys. She almost looked like another version of Jeanne Ellen. He shuddered internally. One was quite enough, thank you very much.

Ranger spoke. "Babe." She stared back at him. As always, that one word could mean anything from hi, to missed you, to are you OK, to what the hell is going on. "Ranger." He looked at her. This could take forever.

Ranger said. "Bones processed your apartment with TPD. It was clean. Can you think of anyone who wants to go after you? That was a pretty strong signal. Not your usual brand of stalker."

Stephanie sighed. She had also been pondering the whole thing. She no longer worked for Vinnie so one of her usual crazy FTA's was probably out. Unfortunately, the target pointed more to a much more sinister threat.

Ranger had a sheet on his desk. He handed it to her. On it was all the take downs she had participated in since he had left. There were a few names highlighted. Stephanie grimaced. That meant that the guys had spent time away from their duties pulling together the list. She knew that they were probably delving deeper into the highlighted names.

She looked at the sheet. Nothing stood out at her. Her spidey sense was not going off with any of them. "I don't think it is any of them, Ranger. I have not stepped on any of any of the Family's toes that I know of, but I will check with Connie. She has her ear to the ground pretty effectively. She would know. I think it is someone else. My apartment was not trashed and my car was not blown up."

Ranger looked at his watch. "Its 1700, Babe. I can have Ella send up a couple of trays anytime. "

Stephanie stood up. "I have a class at 1800, Ranger. I will just pick up something from the break room. "

Ranger looked shocked. She loved Ella's food. What the hell had happened while he was away?

Recovering quickly, he spoke as owner and boss of Rangeman. "Until this threat is contained, you are not allowed to leave the building without back-up. I'll take you and we can pick up something later."

Stephanie shook her head. "It is a women's only building. No males allowed inside. If you insist on taking me, you have to wait outside." Ranger thought about it. "OK, how long is the class?" Stephanie looked at her watch. "Usually I am out by 1930."

He nodded. Stephanie stood up. She had to get her gi from her duffle. She walked to the door. Turning the knob, she opened the door and walked out, closing the door softly behind her.

Ranger sat. His primary mission was over, but there was an even tougher mission on the horizon.

He wondered if that last mission had irreparably damaged their relationship. He could rest easy now that the final piece in his long career was in place, but at what cost?

Ranger phoned Tank. He explained that he would need a back up team at 1800 for a couple of hours. Tank assigned Ram and Les. Ranger told him what he needed. Tank knew about the dojo and the guys would look after the back entrance. Ranger hung up.

He thought back to the meeting with Tank just that morning. They had locked themselves in his office. As usual his first question to Tank had been about his Babe. Now he knew why Tank hesitated. She had really changed.

Tank told him about her new training schedule. He told him that Hector was teaching her knife skills and when she passed his test, he would allow her to add a knife. He told him that she was taking full shifts at Rangeman and up until last week she and Maurice had been partners. He told him about Maurice and Naomi finding out they were expecting and that he was now not in the field.

He told him that he had assigned Hal and Stephanie as partners and they appeared to be working well. He told him about how she had taken on full responsibilities with respect to monitors, surveillance, apprehensions, driving and paper work.

Tank did not mention her new attitude. How do you explain that their favorite person had closed up all emotion for months. He did not mention that it had not been fun to be around her anymore and she had acted like one of the guys. He did not mention that she rarely laughed anymore and didn't volunteer anything or liven up the place with her presence. He did not mention that he had talked to Mary Lou.

Tank was a very, very good second in command. He was very concerned about their Bomber, and was keeping an eye on her. He did not mention that when Ranger left suddenly, all the life appeared to be sucked out of Stephanie and she had turned into a hard, emotionless shell.

Ranger winced. He had been stung by Stephanie asking in front of his men if there was an apartment on four available. Thank goodness she had agreed a long time ago about Rex needing to be safe. Ranger suspected that this particular threat would be difficult to solve. It had been done with almost military precision. He would check with his contacts. Someone must know something.

Ranger drove Stephanie to the dojo. She quietly sat in the car all the way. She had not even commented on the fact that he took the Turbo. Thanking him quietly, she exited the car and headed indoors. Ranger checked that the back was covered and settled in to wait.

He sat in the car mentally tired, but physically alert. That mission had taken a lot out of him, emotionally, physically and mentally. He hoped that he would now be able to fully relax. The final piece was eliminated. His life was his to enjoy.

Ranger had arrived at Rangeman that morning. He was hoping that he could spend a few days in his apartment undisturbed unwinding. He was tired. He realized that he was getting too old to conduct missions anymore.

He had been assuming that his Babe would be living there. He was ready to resume his life before that awful phone call.

He hoped in his heart that he would be able to enjoy his life with his Babe. Right now it looked like everything had gone FUBAR.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Just borrowing them Janet. **

Attacked

Stephanie walked into the dojo. She quickly changed into her gi in the dressing room. She was dangerously close to being late. She stepped into the room. Anji was checking the time.

Stephanie took her place. They started their warm ups. She was slow today. Her mind was not on the job at hand. Anji came over. She clucked disapprovingly at Stephanie. She really tried to clear her mind to the task at hand.

Finally she gave up. She might get hurt by not fully concentrating. Stephanie moved off the mats and headed for an unoccupied corner of the room. She sat down with her back to the wall.

Anji drifted over. She squatted down in front of Stephanie. "Something is wrong. You usually bounce in here first and are the last to leave."

Stephanie looked at her. She was not from the Burg and probably had no idea all the mishaps that happened to Stephanie. She shrugged her shoulders. Anji left her and returned to her class. Stephanie leaned against the wall. Something was off. She willed her mind to relax. She let her mind drift.

Something was not right. Stephanie sat with a perplexed look on her face. The mat underneath her butt shifted. She was sitting on the hard, tile floor. She moved to relieve the pressure on her tailbone. She looked down at her knee. It was aching today. She had strained it in the gym. Her eyes opened wide. She needed to talk to Ranger now.

Not taking the time to change, she dashed out the door. Ranger was in the parking lot in the car. He was on the phone. He saw her and jumped out of the car, gun in hand.

Stephanie raced over to him. She started to speak even before she stopped.

"Ranger, check on Eddie and Teddie. They were on the final Probationary Test with me. I think something is going to happen to them."

Ranger pulled his phone out. He called Tank. He had no idea which office or offices they were stationed at. Tank responded immediately. He had put them in Atlanta. Eddie had taken over the infirmary there and Teddie was on general staff.

Stephanie was motioning madly. Ranger looked at her.

"Get Maurice and his family safe too. Naomi just found out she's pregnant."

Ranger passed on the comment to Tank.

He hung up. He looked at Stephanie. Her eyes were wide with anxiety. Ranger called Les and Ram. He looked at his Babe. "Go get dressed, Babe. We'll head to Rangeman. You can fill us in on what you think."

Stephanie turned to go. Just then, a shot rang out. Something pinged off the Turbo. If she had not moved she would probably be dead right now. Ranger tackled Stephanie to the ground. He had thrown himself on top of her. He had his phone to his ear. Les was on the line. They too had heard the shot but had no idea where it had come from.

Ranger threw Stephanie in the car. Les and Ram followed them back to Rangeman. Tank had already put the building into lockdown.

Hal was at the garage door as it opened. He was fully dressed and wearing a Kevlar vest. He was holding a long rifle in his hands. He hit the Emergency Close button after Ram and Les raced in.

Quickly they headed for the elevator. The door automatically closed and rose unbidden to four. Ranger and Stephanie stepped out.

Bobby met them at the door. He visually looked them over. They seemed non the worse for wear. Stephanie had a slightly glazed look. Ranger had knocked her down and fell on her covering her with his body. He was 240 pounds of pure muscle. Her breath had been knocked out of her.

He walked with them to five. They headed for Conference Room C. Already in the room were Hector, Tank, Woody, Ram, Les and Maurice. They moved to the conference table. Hector was standing by the computer. He had it on and was projecting a standard procedure plan on the wall.

Woody was the communication control centre expert. He had been trained by the Secret Service when he had been part of the cover team for the President. He already had his materials on the table in front of him. There were templates, markers, a manual and a recorder.

Ranger stood up. There was instant quiet. He looked around the room. He settled on Tank. "Report."

Tank stood up. He had a file folder in his hand. "Here's what we know. The bullet that was fired was not standard issue. Ram recognized it right away. We are possibly dealing with a military presence."

He looked down at his notes. "Eddie and Teddie are in the building at Rangeman Atlanta. Scrambler and his family are here in an apartment on four."

Stephanie looked at him. Tank explained. "I had to put Binkie and Zip together. We are full up here and Binkie's room has the only tub. Little Joel likes to have a bath at night."

Someone snickered. Binkie would be getting some tub toys in the near future. Every other suite had only a shower stall.

Tank continued. "I talked to the twins before I came in here. They felt that they were being watched a few days ago, but nothing came of it. They are also on lockdown in Atlanta just in case and the other branches had been put on alert."

Tank spoke again. "Teddie reported a break in on his SUV. The police thought it was kids. His CD collection was taken along with some change in the ashtray. He did mention to me that his token from the final test was also missing."

Maurice put up his hand. Ranger acknowledged him. He stood up. "Naomi mentioned that she noticed some things moved in our bedroom about a week ago. She asked Joel if he had been in Mommy and Daddy's room and he had said no. I noticed that my token was missing from my dish on the counter."

Ranger looked at Tank. "Check with Eddie. Has he lost his token too?"

Tank stepped out of the room. His phone was to his ear.

Ranger looked at Stephanie. She had a perplexed look on her face. She looked at Ranger. "I need to go see Rex. I had attached my token to his cage. Hal carried it down to the SUV. I didn't notice it when I took him up to seven."

Ranger looked at Stephanie. He knew the tokens were numbered. "What number was yours, Babe?"

Stephanie stared at Maurice. "I had Number 1."

Woody had been writing on the whiteboard. He had written down token number 1 with Stephanie's name beside it. Maurice spoke up. "I had Number 4. Teddie had Number 5, and Eddie had Number 2."

Woody had written in the names by the numbers.

The team had a questioning look on their faces. Stephanie explained. "On the hill overlooking Trenton we made a meal and debriefed ourselves from the exercise. The team decided who should get each number. I was given Number 1 because I had gone into the exercise with no knowledge of compass reading, camping, hiking and cooking. Eddie had 2 because he fought his fear of water and successfully crossed the river. Maurice got 4 because he hated heights but conquered his fear to scale the hill. Teddie was 5 as he talked me verbally through defusing the explosive to get the duffle."

Tank walked into the room. "Eddie had his wallet lifted from his pocket three days ago. He had his token in the change compartment."

Everyone looked at the board. Number 3 was conspicuously open.


	7. Chapter 7

My Everything

Ranger looked at Maurice and Stephanie. "Who was Number 3?"

Stephanie answered first. "It was Terry. We presented him Number 3 in absentia as he was pulled from the exercise. He tried to attack me and the guys saved my ass."

Tank was on the phone again. "Vince, I need the file on Terry Swandon ten minutes ago." He closed his phone with a snap.

Ranged looked confused. Who was Terry Swandon? Tank rolled his eyes and his shoulders hunched. He started. "He was a New Hire. Very well recommended. He came on the same time as Scrambler, Eddie and Teddie. That night you came back from your mission seven months ago, the group, minus Terry came home. We had to pull him out as he attacked Little Girl in her sleep. We found out afterward that he had been a real ass through the whole exercise. We brought him back, taught him a lesson or two, and sent him on his way."

Ranger looked at Stephanie. His voice was quiet, deadly quiet. "What was his branch?"

Tank squirmed but it was Ram who spoke up. "Sniper, Black Ops. He was recommended to me. I checked him out with my people and passed his name on to Tank."

Ranger stood stiffly. He stalked over to Ram and leaned down. "Mats, tomorrow!" Ram nodded.

There was a knock on the door. Manny walked in and handed Stephanie's purse and street clothes to her. Stephanie looked at them.

"Ella went into the building and got them. Cal and I took her and Binkie and Zero backed us up." Manny walked out.

There was another knock on the door. Hector was the closest. He opened it and accepted a file folder. He brought it to Ranger. There was a hush as he perused the file. He carefully closed the file and placed it on the desk.

He looked at Ram. "Ok, let's find this guy. Start with his unit. Ram, you know these guys. I want everything you can find on him." Ram nodded.

He looked at Maurice and Stephanie. "You too are not to leave the building. You are confined to searches, desk and monitoring. This looks like a targeted attack. He is going after the four of you. The fact of the target glued to Rex and the attempted hit leads me to believe that he is blaming Stephanie for his dismissal."

Just then, there was another knock on the door. Once again Hector opened it. A large brown envelope was handed over. Hector walked to Stephanie. It was addressed to her. She took it with trepidation. Large brown envelopes rarely contained good news. Inside was a tape. Ranger reached over and plucked the tape from her hand. He handed it to Hector who put it into the machine and pressed play.

Everyone sat forward. The screen came on. Terry was standing. He was dressed in combat and was fully cammo'd up. He was carrying a sniper rifle. He was holding four tokens on leather ties in his hand. He had an evil smile on his face.

"My name is Terry Swandon. I was a decorated member of Delta. I did my job. I was very good at my job. Maurice, Eddie and Teddie are not in danger. I have nothing against them. They all came from good branches. I do, though, have a problem with the company tart. I blame her. I can't get a job. I tried to re-up but they won't take me. They say I am a loose cannon. I tried alternate employment abroad. When the mighty Rangeman puts out a bad review, nobody wants to hire you. Therefore, since my life is ruined, I think it is only fair to ruin hers too. I am watching. You cannot protect her forever."

Terry picked up a picture. It was a blown up photo of Stephanie. There was a small red target between her eyes.

The screen went black.

The silence in the room was deafening. Stephanie shuddered. Once again she was being singled out. She looked at Ranger. He was silent, deadly silent. She suspected that he looked the same way when he was on a mission.

Tank cleared his throat. "Here's what is going to happen. You two are confined to the building until further notice. " He looked at Stephanie. "I mean it. This is not up for discussion. No sneaking out. I will stun you myself, Little Girl."

Maurice cleared his throat. "Naomi has a doctor's appointment tomorrow. It is very important that she attend. I want to go with her."

Ranger looked at Bobby. He had just convocated with his medical degree. He was now Dr. Robert Brown. "Can you do this instead or do we plan a trip?" Bobby considered. "I can do it Ranger, but as Scrambler says, it is a really important appointment. She needs blood tests, appointment set up times, and pre-natal advice. I think if we book it carefully, we can get them there safely. It will take a few teams."

Woody was furiously scribbling on the white board. He had Stephanie's name on one side, and Scrambler on the other. Stephanie's side said in full caps. NOT TO LEAVE THE BUILDING. Under Scrambler's name read, Wife's Drs. Appt. Tomorrow.

She stared at Scrambler's name. She could handle living in danger, but there was an innocent family involved, Little Joel was no longer a baby. He looked so much like his daddy. Naomi was a gentle person. She was quiet like Maurice. They had so much to live for and here they were in danger because of her.

She felt herself get very warm. She saw dots appear in front of her eyes. She heard someone from far away yell, "Catch her".

Stephanie looked up. Bobby was hovering over her. She was on the floor of the conference room. The chairs had been pushed away. Ranger and Tank were standing behind Bobby. Everyone else had left the room.

Shakily she tried to get up. Bobby pushed her back down with a firm hand to her chest. He had his hand on her wrist checking her pulse. He lifted one eyelid and shone a light in her eyes. Finally he nodded. He helped her up to a sitting position. She leaned against Ranger's leg.

Tank left the room. He signalled Bobby to follow him. These two really needed to talk.

Ranger helped her to her feet. She still felt shaky. He sat down in a chair and pulled her onto his lap. She leaned into his strong, broad chest. She sighed. He smelled so good. The mixture of Bulgari and Ranger musk calmed her.

He held her in his arms. She was quiet. No words were spoken for minutes. They both revelled in the embrace.

Finally Stephanie squirmed. Ranger's arms tightened around her. He was not ready to let her go. Stephanie spoke. "Ranger let me go."

Ranger spoke. "No. We need to talk. I know you are mad at me. I deserve it. I left you with no explanation. I can't tell you it all, but I am really finished now. The mark and I had a past. He murdered a comrade in cold blood. He laughed as he did it. We were watching. There was no way we could stop him. He knew we were there. I received confirmation that he was active again. He knew about you. He vowed to make you suffer. I couldn't stand by. Nobody knew him like I did."

He paused. He rubbed her back almost hypnotically. "I have been in Trenton for a week. He had a team here. They had orders to eliminate you even if he died. Somehow he got the signal to them. I raced back in time to stop you from getting hurt."

He stopped again. "Babe, you are my everything. If I lost you, I've lost everything."


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I know Janet, you own them, but I get the others.**

Night Time

Stephanie's stomach growled. Ranger chuckled. In all the excitement, they had not eaten. It was now close to ten o'clock.

He pulled her to her feet. Taking her hand, he led her out the door. They headed for the break room. Hopefully there would be something to snack on.

Ella was in the room. She had just replenished all the coolers with fruit, yogurt, sandwiches and water. They each grabbed a yogurt, piece of fruit and a sandwich. Sitting at a table they dug in.

Tank wandered in. He took a bottle of water. He looked at them. Well, at least they were in the same room together. He hoped that they would talk and iron out whatever problem they had.

He walked out. He checked with the guys on the monitors then headed to his apartment. It had been a long day. He suspected that there would be more of them. He would need all the sleep he could get.

Ranger stood up. He picked up all the used wrappers and threw them in the garbage. He looked at his Babe. "Ready to head to seven? It's been a long day."

Stephanie hesitated. Finally she stood up. "Fine, but I need to talk to you upstairs."

They headed for the elevator. Stephanie continued on to the stairs. Ranger looked amused. She certainly had made some very obvious changes while he was away. They headed up to seven. Neither of them were breathing hard from the climb. Stephanie had led the way. He watched as she jogged up the stairs.

Ranger wondered once again what had happened through the past six months. She was certainly trim. She carried her weapons openly and with confidence. Her eyes had now more of a calculating look to them.

Stephanie headed for the living room. She chose a chair and sat down. Ranger walked to the sofa and sat down. He could tell that the whole subject was not cleared up even after all this time. He settled himself. He would let her talk. He had said his piece.

Stephanie gathered her thoughts. She looked at him. "I understand why you left. I understand that your life is filled with danger, and secrets. At the same time, you cannot even begin to imagine how I felt as you walked out that door so long ago. My heart broke. I had believed we were on a path of living our lives together."

She shifted. "I literally wanted to die. Then I got mad. If you were going to not be in my life, I was going to learn how to stand on my own two feet. I changed all that I could. I started to get in shape. I learned to like my gun. I learned how to really use it. I ate better. I learned how to cook. I tried to be a contributing member of Rangeman instead of a liability to Rangeman. "

She continued. "I stayed because I signed a contract with Rangeman. I wanted to do my usual thing and run when it got tough, but I stuck it out. I hated what I had become. I was cold and calculated. One of the guys accidently called me Jeanne Ellen one day. I actually felt proud. I had made it."

Tears were streaming down her cheeks. "Mary Lou dragged me back from the brink. I don't know if I should blame or credit Tank. He looked after me even when I was a complete bitch. I got on his last nerve a number of times. He called me to the mats twice. "

Stephanie took a cleansing breath. "I am glad you got your target. I'm glad you are not injured. I can never repay all the times you have saved me, even when I didn't want to be saved. I'm even very glad you are back. At the same time, I need time and space. I will be staying on the sofa at night until this is over. I will decide what I want to do after that. "

Ranger sat in shock. He thought he had cleared the air. He wanted her in his bed. He wanted her back in his life. He had missed her so much.

She headed to her duffle. She took it into the bathroom. The shower turned on. He mentally questioned whether he should go in there. After all, he was good in the shower.

Before he could decide, the shower turned off. She walked out dressed in a cute T and panties. He hardened instantly.

Stephanie walked past him. She had a blanket and a pillow in her arms. She put the pillow on the sofa arm and shook out the blanket. She crawled under the blanket and turned her back to him.

Ranger could take a hint. He turned off the light. He closed his bedroom door. He headed for his bathroom. He turned on the shower. He stepped in. The water was as cold as his thoughts. She was not here of her own free will.

He came out with a towel draped low over his hips. He climbed into his empty king sized bed. Sleep did not come easily or soon.

Range woke up. It was 5 am. He climbed out of bed and put on his workout clothes. He turned off the light before opening the door. He tiptoed out. He did not want to wake up Stephanie.

He headed for the door. He stopped. The blanket was neatly folded on top of the pillow. She was not there. Ranger headed for the intercom and pressed the number for the monitors.

Maurice answered. "Track Stephanie. She is not on seven." Maurice could be heard clicking keys. He spoke. "Ranger, she is in the gym." Ranger hung up. He headed down to three. He stepped into the room. Almost every machine was in use. Stephanie was running on a treadmill. She was covered in a light film of sweat.

Ranger looked at her. In her uniform he could tell she had toned up, but in her exercise gear it was very noticeable that she had taken training to a whole new level. She turned off the machine. She quickly towelled off and stepped onto the mats.

Cal was waiting. They shook hands and crouched. They circled. First one would feint and then the other. Their movements were quick and efficient.

Cal grabbed her and threw her. She popped back up. She caught him with a leg sweep. He stood up. They moved in. Fists, elbows, knees and hips flexed. Finally they stopped. They shook hands again. Cal was sporting a cut lip and a few bruises. Stephanie was rubbing her ribs and grimacing.

She moved to a weight bench. Junior spotted her. She proceeded to pump some serious iron.

Ranger shook his head. He quickly warmed up then stepped on the treadmill. He ran without effort. He finished his ten miles. He looked around. The room was almost empty. Stephanie was nowhere to be seen.

Ranger finished his work out. He headed to seven. He knew as soon as he walked in that Stephanie had not returned. He showered, changed and headed to five.

Stephanie was on the monitors. She was watching four screens and did not acknowledge his presence. Her eyes never left the monitors. Ranger headed for Tank's office. He knocked, then walked in. He closed the door. Tank was sitting behind a mountain of paper.

Range sat down in the guest chair. Tank looked up. He pushed a file folder over to him. Ranger picked it up.

It was all the information on Terry Swandon. It had all his test results from Rangeman, his weapons test results, fitness reports, medical reports, recommendations from the military and personal referrals. It also had his last known address and his car description, license plate number and a copy of his driver's license. Ram had done a very thorough job.

Tank got a call. It was time to get Naomi to her doctor's appointment. There would be three teams escorting them. Les was in charge. One hour later, all teams returned. There had been nothing out of the ordinary happen.

Stephanie finished her shift. She headed to the gun range. She needed to blow off some steam. Many mags of ammo later, she emerged. She headed to her locker room for a shower. Tank had arranged for a private room for her a number of months ago.

She ate her supper in the break room. The men looked at her curiously. She was obviously avoiding Ranger. She headed up to seven well after Ranger had gone up. Once again she slept on the sofa and was gone very early in the morning. This went on for three days.

Tempers were getting short and arguments flared up. The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife. Stephanie fidgeted. It was her fault. She wanted to leave and take the pressure off. True to his word, Tank was watching her for signs she was planning on escaping.

Stephanie was in her cubicle. She had been assigned desk duty today. She had an in-box piled high. She finished one search and tossed it on the floor. She finished another and dropped in on top. File after file found its way there.

She stomped to the break room for something to eat. It was always the same. Fruit, yogurt, sandwiches and water. She wanted something different.

Stephanie angrily walked out the door. She was fuming. This mess was all her fault. She had already been in the gym and the range. There was nowhere else to blow off steam.

Stephanie was not looking where she was going. She literally ran into a wall of black. She bounced back. Unconsciously out of her mouth came a stream of curses that surprised even her. She looked up. Tank was standing there with his arms folded. Stephanie stood up to her full 5 foot 7 inch height. She looked at Tank. "Mats." He nodded. They headed to the gym.

They didn't even bother to change. They divested themselves of their weapons and boots and stepped barefoot onto the mat. Tank fobbed the cameras off. This was between them. They circled warily. They feinted, they pulled back.

Tank was huge but he was very fast. Stephanie was just plain mad. Finally her temper got the best of her and she charged. Tank blocked the attack easily. He swept his foot and she came crashing down on the mat. She popped back up. She did not accept his hand.

Minutes stretched. Grunts were heard. Stephanie was getting the worst of the deal but she had made some points. Finally she put her hand up. She had challenged him and it was up to her to call it off.

She limped off the mat and got two bottles of water. She sat on the bench. Tiredly she opened a bottle of water and drank it down. Tank was sitting beside her. He accepted a bottle from her and took a deep swallow.

He looked at her. She looked calmer. "You have improved since the last time we did this, Little Girl." She smiled. That was a huge compliment coming from Tank. "Thanks, I had some help from a lot of friends," said Stephanie. Tank smiled. It was good.

He spoke again. "We'll get him." Stephanie nodded. Her Merry Men were the best of the best. She would do her part so that they could flush him out.

Day four came. Stephanie emerged from the range. She felt something was off.

She came round a corner. Terry was standing in the doorway of a supply closet. He seemed as surprised to see her as she was to see him. She had no time to draw her weapon before he stunned her. She slumped over. He caught her before she hit the ground. He slung her over his shoulder. He headed for the stairs. Terry went past the man at the desk. He too had been stunned and was laying on the ground behind the desk.

He knew that the monitors would be picking him up anytime. He had disabled as many cameras as he could.

An alarm sounded in the building. It could only mean trouble. Ranger raced out of his office. Tank was by the monitor. He had Hector on the keys. Ranger's eyebrow raised. What was going on?

Tank signalled for Ranger to watch. Hector had taken over the entire network of Rangeman cameras. He had multiple screens on at the same time.

Hector swore in Spanish. He brought up a single screen. Everyone drew closer. He rewound the tape again. The picture showed a man come into the front reception area. He was dressed in Rangeman black. He was careful not to show his face to the camera. He spoke to the man on duty. He flashed a pass.

Enrique was a recent transfer from Miami. All of a sudden the stranger reached out and stunned Enrique on the arm. He fell sideways off the chair and onto the floor. The stranger headed for the stairwell. Hector tried to bring up the stairway camera. It was showing it was temporarily off-line.

He played with different screens. They could not see anyone get off any of the floors. Hector brought up the camera outside the gun range. They could see Stephanie come out of the range. They could see her face. She had become suspicious. She was looking at a doorway. They saw a flash of movement.

Hector zoomed in. She was gone. He tried the tape back on the main floor. They saw her being fireman carried out the front door. The camera on the street revealed her being shoved into the trunk of a car. The man looked at the camera. It was Terry Swandon. He smiled and waved at the camera. He raced around to the driver's door and jumped in. The car sped off.

Just then the phone rang in the control room. It was Vince. He was at the front desk. Enrique was regaining consciousness.


	9. Chapter 9

Gone Without a Trace

Vince brought Enrique to the control room. He had left Zero to man the desk. The core team headed to the conference room with Enrique. Bobby was at his side. He was talking to him and slightly supporting him as he walked unsteadily. They walked into the room and sat on chairs. Bobby continued to check over Enrique. He nodded at Ranger.

Ranger looked at Enrique. "What the hell happened?" Enrique swallowed. He spoke softly. "As per procedure I had the door locked. I got a buzz at the front door. I checked the camera. There was a man dressed in Rangeman black at the door. He told me his name was Eddie Cordell from Atlanta. He had his pass open. I asked for the number. He gave it to me and I ran it. He told me that he had been sent to help take the pressure off the guys. He named enough of the guys here, I knew he had been here before. I buzzed him in. He came to the desk and I got a closer look. His blond hair didn't look like the picture on the monitor. I was just about to hit the alarm when he must have stunned me. I woke up to Vince looking at me. I am so sorry Ranger, but he had all the right credentials."

Ranger nodded. He signalled that Bobby should get Enrique a bit more help. He would recover after something to drink and a place to lie down. He probably had a monster headache right about now. Bobby helped him to his feet. He guided him to the door. They were headed for the infirmary. Enrique looked back at Ranger. "I am so sorry." Ranger waved his hand. "Not your fault. He did have all the right answers." They headed out the door.

Ranger looked around. "Well, I guess we know where Eddie's wallet went to. It appears he had been planning this for some time. "

Tank was on the phone. He hung up. "Hector has been tracking him on the traffic cameras. He is not making any effort on hiding where he is heading for.

The meeting quickly adjourned. Ranger walked with Tank to the control room. Hector was on the computer. He was watching a white Chev Cobalt drive down the street. Terry was not in a hurry. He obeyed all the traffic laws. He kept travelling until he hit the edge of town. He turned onto I95 and continued on. There were no traffic cameras on the interstate.

Hector turned to another monitor. He brought up a screen. Ella had secretly sown in hidden trackers in Stephanie's clothes a number of days ago. Ranger, Tank, Hector and Ella were the only ones privy to that information. There was a strong beep. Her tracker was working.

Silently they continued to track Stephanie's progress. Tank had advised Les and he was ready to muster teams of Rangemen for a rescue. Men were in the weapons room, waiting to see what would be needed. They were all fully dressed and adding more weapons while they waited.

Finally, the tracker stopped. Hector had a location. He pulled up a GPS of the location. Hector brought up Satellite Street Maps. There was a little house, and a lake, sitting on the top of a hill. The house was surrounded by trees and tall grass.

Tank took one look at the location and shook his head. Somehow Terry had found a re-creation of the parts of the Final Probationary Test.

Ranger looked at the map. This would take specific skills from a number of his men. He still had no knowledge that these had been components of the final test, but he could sense the potential traps everywhere.

He swiftly considered. Looking at Tank, he ticked off his fingers. Trees, obviously Ram. Water hazard, Hal and Cal. Hill, Binkie and Zip. He looked at the house. Explosive, Les and Caesar. Bobby for medical. He called for extra men. Manny, Junior, Brett, Mario, Duke, Zero and Bones were back ups. Scrambler looked at Ranger. He shook his head, no. "Look after your family. They need you here."

Tank left the room. He had already put Vince in charge. He needed to keep Rangeman functional while they were gone. Woody would also stay back. He was still command centre. Everyone else was at the weapons room.

Tank swiftly assigned teams. The men grabbed the equipment needed. They headed for their trucks. The garage door opened and they drove out. This would be a combined exercise and care and caution was uppermost in all their minds. This would be about one military expert against another. Someone was going to lose their life tonight. Everyone firmly believed that they would still be breathing at the conclusion. They were the best of the best.

Tank had wrestled the wheel away from Ranger. He sat in the passenger side of the Hummer deep in thought. Once again his nightmare had come back to haunt him. He had tried to keep his Babe safe. He had believed that his lifestyle would be dangerous to her. This time, it had really been her defending herself against her enemy. He hoped that she would come out of this unscathed. This was not your garden variety stalker.

Terry's file lay on his lap. Ranger had personally spoken with Terry's former commander. He had cause to worry. Terry had been taken off active duty on his last mission with reinstatement pending a psych review. He was an excellent marksman, but his actions and demeanor had deteriorated to the point that his fellow companions were hesitant to be around him.

The commander confirmed that Sgt. Terry Swandon had contacted him about returning to the unit. He had given Ranger a quick overview of how the conversation had gone down. When Terry found out that he would not be allowed back because of his explosive nature, he had verbally threatened that he would get even, and lives would be lost.

The commander had wished Ranger good luck and good hunting. He had hung up without saying good bye.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: As always, Janet own the recognizable characters.**

A Hunting We Will Go

Six trucks pulled up to the base of the hill. Everyone got out. They formed a ring around Ranger and Tank. Tank had an Ipad open to Satellite Street Maps. He passed the tablet around to the men. Everyone looked carefully, shifting the picture this way and that. Each was deep in thought.

Finally, Bones passed it back to Tank. Ranger spoke. "I cannot overstate how dangerous this will be. He is a trained Black Ops. Be prepared for booby traps, explosives, mics and cameras. Silence is mandatory. Text if you need to. Ringers off and vibration only. There is only one road up, so of course we are not using it. I need the hill teams to attack this from two points. Clear the path so the rest can scale it safely. "

Tank now spoke. "First team prepare to move. Second team, wetsuits on now. Gear in your bags. If you have not cammo'd, do it now." There was shifting as men reached into pockets for the colored sticks. Partners checked each other for coverage, adding a bit more as needed on a missed ear, chin or jaw line.

Tank spoke again. "First team, move out. Good hunting." There was a rustle as rope was uncoiled. The first four headed out. Binkie was teamed with Zip and Mario and Brett made up the second team. They were all climbing experts. They had revelled in Stephanie's refresher courses and had excelled in the exercise. They adjusted their earpieces and clamped their phones to their belts. Swiftly they moved to the hill. Lots of hand signals later they started to climb. The first man was free climbing and dragging a line behind them. They were taking their time. Terry was knowledgeable about climbing and they were taking no chances.

The men on the ground watched silently. Their turn would come. One team stopped climbing. The men below could see lots of hand movements. His partner carefully climbed up to him. They appeared to be looking at something. There was movement and then they headed higher. Finally, they reached the top and secured the lines. Ranger's phone vibrated. Team Two could start up.

The water team proceeded up the hill, pulling themselves up by the ropes. Hal and Cal led the way on one rope and Duke and Bones had hold of the other. Swiftly they moved higher and higher. Ranger was in this group. Tank would come up with the next group.

They scaled the hill easily using the ropes as guides. Reaching the top, they pulled themselves over the lip. Their silhouettes were hidden by some undergrowth near the edge. Quickly the rest of the teams joined them.

Once again no words were spoken. The men crawled silently toward the water. They had already found listening devices and one booby trap. More traps were discovered and disposed of. Terry had been very busy.

Team Two reached the water. They put on the rest of their gear and slipped in. The rest of the men had spread out, blending into the terrain. There were absolutely no sounds.

Finally, one man emerged from the water. He pushed his mask up on his head. Cal hand signalled the route to take. The men quietly slithered into the water and floated across to the other side. Hal, Duke and Bones were treading water, assisting where needed. The men pulled themselves out and once again fanned out providing cover if needed.

Ram and Manny stepped forward. They had already uncased their rifles from their waterproof and protective sacks. Using hand signals they headed out. They would check out the next obstacle and report back. Manny would rejoin the group after their initial sweep. Time ticked on. Muscles started to cramp. One man swore silently as a snake came near.

Manny returned. He signalled the routes. The teams headed for the trees. Signals were passed about more booby traps found. Partners moved as one. One looked down, one up. It was an old trick. If you concentrated on a trap on the ground, you missed the trap above. It was a slow process. Finally they reached the inner edge of the trees. A small cabin stood in the clearing. A tiny light could be seen through the window.

Silently the men moved into the tall grass. Not a ripple was seen. They proceeded to surround the house. They were waiting for a signal.

Suddenly there was a shot. Someone moaned. One of theirs appeared to have been hit. Bobby moved to the injured man. It was Brett. He was hit in the left leg. Bobby swiftly stuck a compression bandage on him. He would be OK. It was a signal as strong as if Terry had sent a flare skyward. He was watching them from a vantage point. That was his first mistake. Ram would now be zeroing in on his location.

Meanwhile, Junior and Zip had slowly crawled to the house. They looked at it. The door was wired along with the step. They slowly crawled around the little structure. The only way in appeared to be through the tiny window.

Junior texted Tank. The only one small enough to get in there easily was Caesar. He was their tunnel rat. He could get into the smallest places. He was double jointed. He liked to practice in the gym all the tight spaces he could get into. He would slither out of cabinets in the control room at the oddest times. It was almost scary to watch him sometimes.

Caesar crawled up. He looked at the window and smiled. He had plenty of room to crawl through. Junior hand signalled him about the possibility of explosives. Caesar nodded. He crawled up on Junior's back and checked out the window. He pushed off and was gone. No sound was heard. Junior stayed by the window.

Nobody had seen, heard, or found Terry. He was still out there watching. They were all targets now. Deep in their hearts every man knew that he was specifically targeting Stephanie.

The men knew that Ram was out there somewhere. He had that look on his face when he disappeared into the woods.

It was personal now. Me against him. Good versus evil.

One of theirs had gone over to the dark side.

He would be found. This time there would be no evidence left of Terry Swandon. He would disappear, never to be seen or heard from again. Stephanie had asked that he not be killed the first time. She had no say in the matter now.


	11. Chapter 11

The Cost of Rescue

Caesar was in the house with Stephanie. She was tied to a chair in the middle of the room. She had a black bag over her head. She had lots of wire trapping her. He carefully took the bag off her head.

Caesar needed help. He headed back to the window. He whispered his instructions to Junior. Junior left the area, crawling back into the tall grass. He headed for Ranger.

Ranger and Tank were kneeling at the edge of the trees. Les was close by. He was also an explosive expert. He had a bag beside him. Junior quickly appraised them of the scene. At first glance, Caesar did not see a timer or explosives on the wires wrapped around Stephanie.

Ranger asked what everyone else was thinking, "How does she look? Did she speak to you? Is she wounded?"

Junior had the answers ready. "Caesar says she looks a bit battered. She may have a broken leg. It looks bent awkwardly. I think she got some hits in. Her knuckles are bruised and bleeding. He saw some blood on her shirt. He talked to her. She is trying to keep it together but I think the bag over her head was freaking her out a bit."

Tank and Ranger looked at each other. She had never liked small spaces after being locked up in the cupboard at Stiva's. That fear had never left her. It might be something they would have to address when this ended. They carefully did not think if. They would get her out of this situation. Everything else would be taken care of afterwards.

Les dropped onto the ground and followed Junior. They crawled slowly and carefully to the house. Les was much bigger and had trouble getting into the house through the window. He grunted as he finally succeeded in squeezing in.

Junior heard Les talk to Stephanie. "I'm here with Caesar, Beautiful. We'll get you out of here and Bobby can slap a bandaid or two on you. He's just sitting around outside twiddling his thumbs anyway. He told me he can't wait to get his hands on you."

In spite of the situation, Stephanie giggled. She gasped. Something hurt. Les put his hand on her shoulder. "Can you give us an idea what we are looking at here?"

She sighed. "I'm sure I have a broken leg. He was targeting my leg with his rifle butt. I can't see or move it. I might have a concussion. I tried to escape and he caught me on the side of the head with the butt of his rifle. I got a few hits on him before he took me down though. He might have a broken hand. I know he is out there watching."

Stephanie tried to move. She grimaced and stopped. " He kept talking to me by mic until awhile ago when he came in and took it out and put the bag over my head. He has seriously lost it, Les. Tell Ranger that he is not planning on coming out alive. He wants to take me out when we leave the house and he is planning on taking as many of the guys with him as he can. "

Les stepped away. He nodded for Caesar to put his hand on Stephanie's shoulder and talk to her. She needed the contact right now and by god, they would give her all the strength they could.

Les phoned Ranger. A text was not good enough. He relayed everything . Ranger swore softly. This made the mission even more dangerous. He texted Ram with the information on the possibly of a broken hand. Ram clicked back. He was still looking. He knew where Terry wasn't. He was working on where he was.

Ram hoped that he could neutralize the situation before it got any more serious. He had studied Terry's sniper file. The CO had forwarded it to him. Every sniper has a unique style. Terry was no different. He was right handed but could shoot left. He always took his hogs tooth off when he was going for a shot. He would touch it before he pulled the trigger. His scores were good. Ram smiled. His were better. He was not bragging. It was a fact.

Ram carefully moved through the trees. His senses were on high alert. He blocked out all the normal forest sounds, listening for something out of the ordinary. He stopped. He had heard a slight rustle that didn't fit. He crouched down. He heard it again. Next he heard a slight hiss. He wondered how badly Stephanie had hurt Terry's hand. It almost sounded like he had been wrapping the hand up.

It was time to head higher into the trees. Quietly Ram slung his rifle over his shoulder and climbed onto a low hanging branch. He carefully moved from branch to branch. Finally he was nestled in a tall fir. He had a very good vantage point. He could see the house, and the light in the window.

He suspected that Terry had an identical vantage point somewhere close. Now he would have to check out each tree for his prey. They were both dressed in camouflage. Both men believed they were the hunter. Time would tell who would be the hunted.

Time passes slowly when you are a sniper. You go from reptilian calm to viper deadly. Ram sensed Terry was near.

Someone moved in the grass. Ram saw movement in a tree just before he heard a shot. There was a moan. He could visualize Bobby making his way to another wounded comrade. Unfortunately for Terry, that quick shot had narrowed down the search. Ram checked through his scope. He noticed a tiny glint of something shiny. He steadied himself and fired.

He heard a crash. He heard voices and running boots. He climbed down from the tree. Ranger had given the all clear. His job was done.

Ram walked over to the circle of men. Terry was laying sprawled face up on the ground. He had a bullet hole between his eyes. He looked surprised in death. Ram took out his knife and crouched over Terry. He opened the neck of his shirt wider and sliced off the leather lace. He held the object in his hand. It was the hogs tooth each sniper wore after graduating from sniper school. Tradition was that as long as you wore the ornament on you, you would be safe. It was supposed to represent the bullet with your name on it. Terry had changed his pattern. He had left it on. That's what had glinted in the sunlight.

Activity now shifted to the house. Quickly the men started to dismantle the wires around the house. They realized that it was all a sham. There was lots of wire run, but nothing was hooked up. Carefully, they opened the door. Caesar and Les were still inside and had started to free Stephanie. Suddenly, she screamed.

They stopped in confusion. She nodded down. She was sitting on one more wire. This one was attached. Les and Caesar checked it out. If she stood up, it would detonate.

They huddled with Ranger and Tank. There were few options. If she stood, it would explode. They suspected that it had something to do with her broken leg. Moving the leg meant extreme pain to Stephanie but it looked like the switch was tied to her leg.

Bobby came into the house. He went to Stephanie. She was in pain. Her face had that pinched look like she was holding it all in. Bobby checked her pupils for concussion symptoms. He talked to her soothingly. She nodded her head. He had asked permission to touch the leg. He knew it was hurting. He would be as careful as he could. She steeled herself. He lifted her foot. Two of the men were standing near her. She slumped over. She had fainted from the pain. They held her upright in the chair. Les and Caesar moved closer. It was probably better this way.

Stephanie was sitting on the explosive. If it blew, the explosion would probably take them all. To their credit, nobody left the house. Ranger stood by his Babe. He was trying to keep a blank face but the emotion was creeping out. His eyes looked at his Babe. She was his everything.

Caesar was doing his contortionist thing. He had crawled under the chair and was tracing the wire. He nodded to Les. He knew how to do it. He asked for the tiny needle nosed pliers. He explained what would happen. Les would lift the leg slightly. He would snip the wire and the guys would quickly pull her sideways off the chair. At the same time, Junior would tip the chair toward the wall. It was a directional explosive. Hopefully they could get her out of the way before it blew. It was the only way. Les figured they had just a few precious seconds. Caesar motioned that everyone was to move away from the wall with the window. They quickly went over the procedure and the timing.

Everyone looked around . They were ready. On the count of three Caesar would cut and they would yank her off the chair. They had an emergency blanket ready.

Caesar counted down. Three, Two, One. He snipped, the men pulled Stephanie away and Junior directed the chair. As Caesar had predicted, the wall blew out. Dust settled on the men. Bobby looked around. Nobody indicated they were hurt. He checked on Stephanie. She was now laying on the emergency blanket. Dust sparkled in her curly hair. Her face was bruised and dried blood was caked by an ear. It was time to move her out.

Bobby signalled that they should pick her up in a blanket lift and get her outside. Tank had already phoned for a helicopter rescue. He had called in a favor.

Four men grabbed a corner of the blanket. On the count of three they lifted her up and carried her outside. The rest of the men had arrived and were watching. Brett and Zip were laying on the ground by the wall of the house. Brett had a bandage over his leg and Zip was favoring his shoulder. They would both heal with no lasting damage. Fortunately no lives had been lost by the Rangemen.

The helicopter arrived. There was a cuff on Stephanie's arm and Bobby was by her side. Quickly the men carried Stephanie to the open door and placed her carefully on the floor. Bobby and Ranger jumped in. The helicopter lifted off. It headed for a small private hospital on the outskirts of Newark. Silence cost lots of money and the hospital would be properly compensated.

Tank took charge. He, Manny and Mario would take care of the grisly detail. Every man on the rescue mission had volunteered. The men left. No report would be filed and nobody would speak of this again.

Les and Ram took responsibility for returning the area to its natural state. It was swept clean of all casings and evidence of an attack. Carefully they retreated, re-tracing their steps to the trucks. A team was left to sweep the road clear. The car would be disposed of.

The men returned to Rangeman. They silently returned the weapons to the gun room and headed to their respective apartments. They would deal with the situation their own way. Nobody would be writing up a report on today's activities. There would be a skeleton staff on duty for 24 hours.

Brett and Zip were at the hospital. The report would show a take-down gone wrong. Their injuries were not considered serious and they would be back at Rangeman later that night.

Rangeman waited on word about their friend.

**Final chapter tomorrow. Myrna**


	12. Chapter 12

Someday Arrives

Stephanie stirred. She heard the beep, beep, beep of the heart monitor equipment. She heard a chair squeak and knew Ranger was once again by her bed.

Stephanie opened her eyes. She could see him leaning slightly back on the hard backed chair. He looked so tired.

Stephanie looked around. It was daylight. She tried to keep her days straight but she had drifted off to sleep so many times she had lost count.

Bobby had been in. He had given her a complete run down of her injuries. She had a very badly broken leg. The orthopedic surgeon had spent hours putting it back together. He had not exactly told her, but she could tell from his expression that she was lucky to still have it. Right now, it was suspended in a huge cast in the air. There were rods sticking out the sides of the traction that held her in place would rival a tall ship's rigging. She had a grab bar above her, but she was only able to use it to change her position slightly and lesson some pressure points. She now knew how a trussed up chicken felt like. Her lip had taken on that droopy pout look. She did not do well sitting around. Now it appeared she would be laid up for months.

Stephanie felt totally helpless. She needed help to do anything. It was a major undertaking for the nursing staff to do everything from changing her hospital gown or the bed linens to even doing personal business left unmentioned. She hated this feeling.

She had a concussion from Terry's rifle butt to the side of her head. Once again she was missing a chunk of hair where they had shaved it to stitch her up.

Bobby was trying to arrange her transfer to his infirmary. He already had plans to convert the hospital suite for long term use with traction.

Unbeknownst to her, Ranger and Bobby had hired a female medic. She had been mustered out of the army a few months previously and was looking for work. She would start the minute Stephanie was wheeled into Rangeman.

Stephanie would appreciate the female assistance. She would need help for some time. After all these years, she still was very shy around male medical personnel. She would tolerate Bobby as he was as diplomatic and private as he could be, but this was a whole new kettle of fish all together.

Ranger was anticipating some fireworks. They both had tempers. Stephanie had her famous Jersey manner and Josie had a no nonsense army attitude. It would be an interesting time.

Ranger stirred. Stephanie could just see his face. She watched as he stirred once again. He was getting ready to wake up. Stephanie wondered how many times had he watched her as she slept over the years?

She knew that he would sit in the corner of her bedroom and watch her sleep. He would come in and then leave noiselessly. She could always feel his presence. She knew that he had been her protector for as long as she knew him.

Stephanie waited patiently. She could tell the exact moment those beautiful chocolate brown eyes would open. He would look around, instinctively checking for changes since he had last checked. He would do a neck roll massaging the kink out of his neck. He would stand up and swivel his torso back and forth to loosen his cramped back muscles. He would then head to the side of her bed, getting the circulation working again in his legs.

Ranger stood up and came to the side of the bed. He leaned over and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. He smelled delicious with the hint of Bulgari and Ranger musk mingling.

Ranger spoke. "Hi Babe. Feeling better this morning?"

Stephanie smiled. Today was going to be a great day. She was safe with guards posted outside her door. She was healing. Most of all, the person she most wanted to be near was standing beside her.

She found his hand. She squeezed it. She pulled gently. He drew nearer. She gave him a kiss of love, of promise, and of longing. Her hormones would be in a holding pattern for some time.

Stephanie had missed Joe's wedding. She had sent an apology note and a wedding gift. Joe had received permission to visit her. He had taken one look at her trussed up in the hospital bed and he had visibly blanched. He was not privy to all the details but he had heard enough. He came over to her and gave her a gentle kiss. They had had a good visit. As he was leaving she wished them well in married life.

He looked at her. His eyes asked the question. Stephanie responded. "We are speaking. I understand why he had to go. He did it to protect me. How can I stay mad at him Joe? I do love him."

Joe nodded. He was happy. He hoped she would be happy too. They had both moved on but they would always be friends. He stood up to leave. He had to get back to Atlanta.

Lying in that bed, Stephanie had a lot of time to think.

She thought of their relationship. It would be great, then it would stall. The sex was always mind blowing, but there had to be more for couples to succeed together

Ever since the day in that diner, they had an attraction to each other. She could feel his presence. She suspected he could too.

She had bumbled her way through life taking advantage of Ranger and his company. She had made almost no attempt to improve herself. When he had left, she had turned completely around, putting serious effort into improving herself. At the same time, she had closed herself off from the very people who had helped her along the way; her Merry Men, Mary Lou, Lula and Connie. She had literally lost her way.

Stephanie pursed her lips. Ranger had stayed constant through their whole relationship and she had been the one continually changing the rules. He had his own moral code and although gray on some of the edges, was fair, and consistent.

It was time to put on her big girl panties and face the fact that she had been a major disruption in their relationship.

Bobby came into the room. He was brandishing the release papers. Stephanie beamed a grateful smile. She hated hospitals. At the same time she knew it would take a huge effort to move her.

It took some time, but the ambulance attendants were now standing by her bed with a gurney. There was an army of nurses assisting. They started to unhook her from the machines. Her IV bag was taken off the stand and put on her stomach for the transport. Next, they carefully took her leg out of traction. Her brow was covered in sweat. The pain was unimaginable.

She tried not to moan. Bobby had a needle ready. Stephanie shook her head no. They would talk about it when she got home. She smiled. Yes, home. She had finally realized that.

They moved her carefully but efficiently onto the gurney for the ride. Her leg was suspended in a strange tripod contraption. Binkie had designed it for her transfer. He was a closet inventor. He had a variety of interesting prototypes being considered for patents. He was hoping that this new portable traction unit would make it into forward combat areas to assist transport of severely wounded soldiers with leg injuries.

Ranger stayed by her side. He would accompany her in the back of the ambulance. He held her hand throughout the procedure.

Finally they were on their way. The trip in the ambulance was made slowly and with as little jarring as possible.

The ambulance pulled up to the Rangeman garage door. It opened and they drove in. The attendants hopped out of the ambulance and opened the back doors. They carefully lifted out the gurney and rolled it toward the elevator. They rolled her through an honor guard of Rangemen employees. Each man was holding a single rose. They put it on the gurney as she passed by.

Her tears fell. She could only smile and thank everyone. She grasped hands as they made their way slowly to the elevator. The door was open and waiting. Bobby was walking by her side. He was rubbing her arm. Stephanie realized too late what he was doing. She felt the prick of the needle. She heard him softly say, "You'll thank me later, sweetheart." She drifted off as they travelled up to the fourth floor and into the infirmary.

Josie was waiting. Stephanie was moved onto the bed and Bobby and Josie proceeded to re-traction the leg. Ranger kissed her on the lips gently and walked out the room.

Time passed. Stephanie was now out of traction. She was in a smaller cast. She had progressed to a wheelchair. When Josie turned her back, Stephanie was gone. She would hide on five, on three, in the gun range, and even in Ella and Louis's suite. Each time Josie would hunt her down.

Today, Stephanie was hiding in Ranger's office. She had sworn the men on monitors to silence. Ranger walked in. He didn't look surprised to see her. Josie was looking for her once again.

Ranger put the file folders on his desk. He wheeled her over to the couch. He gently lifted her out of the chair and sitting on the couch, held her in his arms. They had been talking and getting emotionally closer. Stephanie snuggled into his strong, muscular chest. She sighed happily.

There was a knock on the door. Stephanie tried to dissuade Ranger from responding. He chuckled. He called out, "Enter". Josie was at the doorway. She looked pissed. It was time for physio.

Ranger gave Stephanie a kiss. He laughed as she hugged him tightly. Her fingers were locked together behind his neck. Ranger gently but firmly unlocked each finger. He kissed her again. She was pouting. Once again she was being tag teamed. Ranger and Josie set her back in the chair. Josie took firm hold of the handles and pushed her out the door. The men on monitors grinned as the girls argued all the way to the elevator. Their Bomber was regaining her spirit.

True to their natures, there were fireworks, and hissy fits. Josie threatened to quit a number of times. Stephanie threatened to have her fired. They became fast friends. There came a day when Josie was not needed. Stephanie was now on crutches.

Ranger and Bobby were in a meeting in Ranger's office. How would the men react with a female medic on staff? She was one of the best.

Bobby needed to travel to the other branches on a regular basis. He was also on staff at the hospital now. He needed to keep up his certification. He loved the whole experience. He would never be able to repay Ranger for funding his schooling.

Stephanie and Bobbie had returned from the specialist's appointment. Her x-rays had finally shown enough improvement that the cast would be removed by Bobby tomorrow. This was her news to tell.

Bobby was ready to toss Stephanie out of the medical suite.

Where would she go? She had been forced to give up her apartment. The elevator in her building could not be trusted and she would not be able to negotiate the stairs for some time. The men had emptied out the apartment. Stephanie had stated that all she wanted were her clothes and her cookie jar. Everything else had been donated.

Ranger was also thinking. He was secretly hoping that she would move back onto seven. He made sure that the fourth floor apartments stayed occupied. He was playing hardball. He wanted her with him. He was hoping she would want to be with him. He planned to ask her that evening. He had already asked Ella for a special meal.

Stephanie hobbled into her room. On the hospital bed was a red rose. There was a card with it. It was an invitation to dinner on seven. She was requested to arrive anytime after 1800. Stephanie dressed with care. She exchanged her sweat shorts for long dress pants. Ella had been a godsend re-outfitting her wardrobe taking into consideration her mobility issues. She wore a sweater that bore a striking resemblance to her eye color. Her hair was down. She was wearing slip on shoes.

Stephanie made her way to the elevator. She was looking forward to more physical therapy soon. Her arms were very strong having been pushing herself around by wheelchair and now hobbling around with crutches. She lamented at the strength of her leg muscles. They had atrophied from inactivity. She would need to build them up and it would take some time to be able to run for any distance any time soon.

Stephanie had been on light duty for four months. She was used to monitoring, searches and desk duty. She had snarled threateningly when assigned desk duty the first time. The in box was stuffed full. She tore into the pile. Three files down, she found a Thinking of You card. It was signed by Les. A few files further down, she found a picture of a Boston Creme donut. It said to look in her right hand desk drawer. Opening the drawer, she found a Tasty Pastry bag with a donut in it. She knew Hal had put that there. Stephanie kept working. A few files further down was her favorite chocolate bar. A little note written in a child's handwriting said it was from Joel. Stephanie smiled. Her guys were still looking after her.

Stephanie had been driven to Maurice's home one evening for supper. Naomi met her at the door. She was sporting a baby bump now and her ultrasound showed they were going to get their baby girl. Maurice was ecstatic. They already knew the baby's name, but were keeping it secret. She would be named after Naomi's mom, Jennifer. Her middle name would be Sarah.

Stephanie had spoken to Ram. She felt bad that he had been forced to take another life but he had shrugged. He had justified it in his own mind. He had had the hogs tooth delivered to the CO of sniper school. There was no note. There was also no acknowledgement.

Stephanie stepped off the elevator. She knocked on the door. Ranger opened it immediately. He was dressed in gray slacks, a white dress shirt open at the collar, and buttery soft loafers on his feet. He stepped back and opened the door wide. She stumped her way into the apartment.

Music was playing softly in the background. Ranger gave her a kiss and hugged her gently to him. She let go the crutches and returned the hug. The crutches fell to the floor. They stood there wrapped in each others embrace. They both felt at ease. After some serious lip lock, they relaxed from their embraces.

Ranger scooped her up and carried her to the table. He gently set her on a chair. He placed her crutches on the floor beside her then walked around to the other seat. The table was set with a lovely table cloth, candles and covered dishes. It smelled devine. Stephanie's mouth watered.

Ranger took the covers off the plates. There were her favorite foods. Linguine with shrimp and alfredo sauce. There was spinach salad with tiny tomatoes, bits of cheese, red onion, croutons and dressing on the side. Ranger lifted another cover. There was grilled chicken and steamed vegetables. He left one cover in place.

They began to eat. Their conversation was casual, but lively. They discussed her therapy, her searches, and her family. She told him about the cast removal tomorrow.

He discussed Les getting on his case about adding junk food in the break room. Les reasoned that Stephanie couldn't leave the building and Rangeman should accommodate her sugar intake. Les was getting soft. It had taken Ranger less than a minute to put him down on the mats to stay.

He discussed his idea of expanding to another city. He was looking at a building that was for sale. He wanted her to come and see it with him. He valued her opinion on the matter.

Finally the plates were empty. Ranger became quiet. Stephanie looked at him. "What's up Batman?"

Ranger stood up. He came around to her side of the table. He cleared away the dishes. He put the last covered plate in front of her. He lifted up the lid. He knelt on one knee. There was a little black, velvet box. He took it in his hand and slowly opened it. He looked in her eyes.

" I once again realized that I cannot bear to live without you, Babe. I want you to be part of my life. I want to be part of your life. Would you do me the pleasure of accepting my offer of marriage?"

Stephanie looked at him. Tears sprang to her eyes. She nodded yes. "I love you, Carlos. I always have."

Ranger stood up. He carefully pulled Stephanie to her feet. He kissed her on the lips. His hands played in her curly hair. He held her tightly to his chest. Finally he scooped her up and carried her to the bedroom.

**Well, last time I left them in the shower. (Margaret – Ranger will never wrinkle, even with age!) **

**Hope you liked it. **

**Myrna**


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